Mastermind
by charlietheepic7
Summary: In this Hero society, a man who steals wallets is as evil as a serial killer if he uses his quirk to commit crime. But the Learning Institute of Villainous Excellence guarantees that any child who walks through their doors will have a successful career as a classic villain. And Midoriya Izuku is trapped in their clutches.
1. Chapter 1 A Beginning, of sorts

**Mastermind**

On the way home, still covered in soot and sewage slime, Izuku stopped by the park he and Kacchan used to play at and cried his eyes out.

The tears couldn't stop once he'd started. Originally, he'd drifted into the old park in a state of adrenaline-induced delirium. The park was barely recognizable from his memories; over the years, less children played here when there was a new playground two blocks away, so the park received little maintenance. The swing set was broken and rusted and the bench Izuku sat on was half rotted, overgrown grass reaching his knees. Fitting, Izuku thought, covering his mouth to suppress a hysteric giggle.

Izuku hadn't been here in years and probably never would have seen this place again if not for the events of the day. Getting attacked, getting saved by All Might, trying to save Kacchan, getting saved by All Might _again_… his poor heart hadn't slowed down since he left school. The panic-fueled shaking slowed down the longer he stayed and finally, the sobs he'd been holding back for hours broke free. Because having his life endangered was nothing compared to what had happened on the roof of that building.

Truthfully, Izuku had known what All Might's answer would be. Even before he'd learned about All Might injury, before they landed on that roof, before All Might had even showed up to save him from the Slime Villain. It was the same answer everyone had given him: his mom, his dad, his teachers, his classmates, Kaachan. These words had been repeated to him over and over again, sorrowfully and mockingly and dismissively, to the point where it might as well be burned into his skin.

_"It's not bad to dream, but you also have to consider what is __**realistic**__, young man. You should probably __**give it up.**__"_

_You can't become a hero._

His stomach rolled and shaky fingers threaded through his hair. Izuku's heart literally ached in his chest. What had he been expecting? That All Might would, what? Allow someone as useless as him out onto the battlefield? How was he shocked by this? How did he feel so betrayed even though All Might had merely repeated what everyone else in Izuku's life had told him?

Lost in his own pain, Izuku jolted when someone sat down beside him and placed a hand on his back. His breath stuttered and he lifted his head up. The woman attached to the hand looked tired, with eye-bags bigger than Izuku's after a night of looking up hero videos to analysis. Her navy blouse was loose across her chest, but tight around her arms, showing off her muscles. Black hair spilled over her shoulders. Izuku cautiously moved out from under her hand. "Can I… help you?"

"Heard you from across the street," the woman said, her voice washing over him like aloe on a sunburn. Izuku calmed at the sound. "You cry loud, kid."

"Ah!" Izuku flushed bright red, embarrassment overcoming his pain for the moment. "I'm very sorry, ma'am!"

She waved the apology away. "It's fine; I wasn't doing anything important anyway. But, you know—" She met his eyes and Izuku's mouth dropped open at her lavender irises, swirling slightly around her pupil. Was it a part of her quirk, he wondered distantly as his breathing started to slow. "—it typically helps if you talk about your problems with people. Someone could be willing to help."

"No one's willing to help me." He spoke without thinking because it was true. No one was willing to help him become a hero; no one wanted to bother with the quirkless loser.

The woman only smiled. "Try me."

So Izuku told her. He told her about his ever-present need to be a hero; about how his dreams shattered when the doctors told him he was quirkless and how no one, not even his mom, supported him in his efforts; about how his dad, a hero he adored with all his might, pulled away from their family and into his work, saying that it was to keep them safe, but Izuku speculated it was because the man was ashamed of him. The words came unwillingly—he shouldn't burden this woman with his problems!—but they came nonetheless, with anger, sadness, and bitterness lacing his tongue. He even told her about his treatment at school, of how Kaachan transformed from his best friend to his worst nightmare, of how he led the other students in the school to hate him, of how the teachers didn't do anything because, in the words of his primary school homeroom teacher, "it wasn't like he wouldn't face the same behavior for the rest of his life."

And the woman listened. It was cathartic; he could rant about the unfairness of it all, and she didn't interrupt him, or scold him, or try and get him to "see the other side." She was quiet and her face didn't move much, but he knew she listened by how her eyes slightly narrowed and how her lips pursed at certain injustices. He even told her a bit about All Might; not about the hero's wound of course, but his response to Izuku asking if a quirkless person could be a hero, how it was Izuku's fault that the slime villain had escaped, and how All Might was probably really angry at him.

By the end of it all, the woman's hand returned to his shoulder and was rubbing circles on his back. Izuku rubbed his face and his hand came away wet. "Sorry." The word cracked. "I shouldn't have… it's not fair for me to put all this baggage on you."

"It's not fair for you to have to carry all this baggage by yourself," she retorted. "If anything, you should be commended. Sticking to your dream of heroics for so long despite everything that's been thrown against you? It's an inspiration tale for the ages." Izuku blushed. "You mentioned that you have been doing analysis journals to prepare for being a hero. May I see one?"

"You… want to see my analysis?"

"Yes. If you're comfortable…" Her voice seemed to gain an otherworldly quality to it and Izuku found himself nodding without another thought.

"Okay, sure." Izuku dug into the backpack at his feet and gave her Hero Analysis for the Future 13. "Sorry, it kinda smells. It's been a rough day."

Her fingers flipped through the half-dry pages. "I know, kid." She read a few of the pages, Izuku fiddling with his hands. Did she like it? She wasn't saying anything, was that bad? "Kid… this is really impressive."

"Really?"

"Really. Though you might want to branch out into analyzing fighting styles. Still, this is a lot more than most heroes can do." Izuku tilted his head and she continued. "Quirk analysis, particularly in the field, is a skill that can benefit most heroes, but few bother to learn. Like with that group of heroes that were on the scene of the slime villain attack. They were totally willing to let you and that boy die." Izuku flinched. He'd nearly died, twice, but she spoke so causally about it! "They'd had several minutes to consider the situation, but never thought of trying to use the villains quirk against them. He's slime; if they'd have thrown salt on him, he would have dissolved."

Izuku's shoulders fell. "I, I didn't think of that…"

She patted his shoulder. "Not your fault. You came up with the best possible plan you could with only a few seconds. It's a lot better than those half-assed heroes." She shook his notebook. "Still, this isn't the worst skill to base a hero career on."

Izuku froze. "You think… that I can be a hero with my analysis?"

She smiled, a quick quirk of her lips. "Definitely. But, only if you actually want to continue down the hero path. With all the wrongs given to you, you deserve a life that allows you to have revenge against those who've hurt you."

"I've considered it." On his worst days, Izuku has wondered why he even bothered trying anymore, but… "I want to be a hero more than anything. And if I really need revenge… well, I guess the looks on my former classmates' faces will have to be enough."

She laughed. "I guess that can work for you. You need to be more careful with this though," she gestured with the notebook. "It could ruin a lot of heroes lives if a villain found it…

"A villain like me."

Izuku's heart skipped a beat, the ache back, now worse. He must have misheard. He had to have, there's not way that she was—"What did you say?"

Her smiled twisted into a smirk, highlighting a cruel glint in her eyes. She stood. "I said. That I. Am a villain." With her towering over him, Izuku shivered, tears welling in his eyes again. She started walking away. "I have to thank you, kid. This book's going to make my job a whole lot easier. You really _are_ a hero. So do yourself a favor and stay sitting like a good boy."

Her words tried to take hold of him, his mind whispering to obey, but Izuku bounded to his feet. "Hey!" She didn't stop and he raced forward, fist raised. _He couldn't let her leave. She'd kill heroes if he let her leave—_

She caught his fist easily, twisting it off to the side. "You broke free of my command." She was surprised, the lulling quality that had been in her voice this entire time missing. "Interesting…"

Izuku tried to pull his fist free. "I'm not letting you leave!"

"Did you really think that this would work?" she asked, sounding genuinely curious. "If I'd let that punch land, you would have broken your thumb and fractured your wrist. At least keep your thumb on the outside of your fist when you punch—" Taking her advice, Izuku punched her in the stomach with his free hand. She doubled over, grunting, but kept a hold of his notebook. "Okay," she said, strained. "That was on me. Need to stop teaching during a fight."

She lashed out with her leg and Izuku toppled to the floor, air rushing out of him, but it was alright. He kicked. If he could break her knee, then she—She caught his foot as easily as she did his first punch. She sighed. "Really? Do heroes really mean so much to you?"

"People mean a lot to me," he spat back. "I want to protect people. It doesn't matter to me if they're civilians or heroes or even villains like you! So that's why I'm not going to let you kill anyone!" He jerked his foot out of her hand and lunged.

An arm caught him around his neck and a rag was shoved over his mouth. Izuku tried not to breath as he felt her breath on his ear. "What an interesting answer, kid. I guess that's why you were on the list." The arm squeezed his neck and his lungs burned. "Just take a breath and let this day be over, alright? Nice and easy…"

His lungs gave out and Izuku gasped a breath, inhaling a sharp chemical scent. His head immediately went dizzy. He managed to force out "What did you…?"

"Go to sleep, kid. Things will be better when you wake."

His vision swam and cut to black, his mind sinking into a drugged slumber.

**oOo**

Silent had barely sat down at her desk to complete Midoriya Izuku's paperwork when Jagged Seer burst into her office. The large, muscular man would have been intimidating if he wasn't wearing a sweater vest. His dark buzzcut somehow managed to hold a pink bow. "Silent! What the hell is this about, making me go out and kidnap a new kid so close to school beginning!"

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "It's exactly as the memo said, Seer. Bakugou Katsuki doesn't meet our requirements for attending. Did you get on the train looking like that?"

"Yes? What's wrong with how I look?"

"Bow."

Seer ran his hands over his head and found the bow, unclipping it. "That child's been covering everything in the house with bows, I swear. At least it's only one this time… Anyway, Hyperstar said that they were the one to scout him and that he'd be perfect fit. What happened?"

"Hyperstar clearly can't look past a powerful quirk and a bad attitude. Bakugou's a bully—"

"We can deal with bullies. Hell, I was one—"

"But Bakugou wants to win, more than anything else. I could see that easy, even after only half a day of watching. So unless villains start winning on a scale that can rival All Might's wins, convincing that kid he should learn from a villain school would be impossible." She grabbed a cherry hard candy from a bowl on her desk and popped it in her mouth. "Plus, AVVM couldn't pay me enough to deal with that kid's inferiority/superiority complex. Just this past day's been a headache and a half."

The television perched in the corner of the room switched on and AVVM's avatar—a green head with a huge smile and no eyes—popped up. "Which is saying something, considering how much I am already paying you, Silent-san!" And with that, the virtual principal was gone.

Silent and Seer, far too used to the principal eavesdropping on other's conversations, ignored them. "So, who am I supposed to pick up, then?" Seer asked, crossing his arms. "Without Bakugou, we're a kid short."

Reaching into her desk, Silent gave him a fairly thick file. "Todoroki Shouto."

He grabbed the file. "Todoroki? Didn't we just have a Todoroki?"

"Yes, his brother. That's why he was lower on list than Bakugou was. But he's still technically a legacy, and Endeavor's such a piece of shit that he'll definitely want to remain here rather than go home."

"Alright then. You're the boss." They both ignored AVVM's declaration that they were actually the boss. "Guess that means I'm not going to make it to Blood's 'Last Day Before School' party."

"If Blood Creature has time to throw a party, she has time to get a lesson plan on my desk."

"You know, she throws these parties in hope that one day you'll remove the stick from your ass and let her fuck you." Seer snorted. "Like that's ever going to happen."

Silent rubbed hand over her face. Like she'd never heard that one before. "As I've said before, my duty is to our students. If Blood Creature can't handle that, then she shouldn't have become a teacher to begin with." Time to get back on track. They were wasting sunset. "When you retrieve Todoroki, use a dart gun to knock him out and have Port warp him to the Level 0 barracks. We don't have time for mistakes."

Seer waved off her concern and left, leaving her alone. Well, as alone as she could be, considering how the principal of LIVE was a rogue AI living inside all electronics.

Speaking of which… Silent flipped through tv channels until she found the live security footage of the Level 0 barracks. On the screen, 5 teenagers were trapped in drugged slumber and soon Todoroki would join them, giving her a full class to work on. Silent cracked her knuckles.

Tomorrow would be the dawn of a new year of villain academia for the Learning Institute of Villainous Excellence.


	2. Chapter 2 Waking Up

**Chapter 2**

Shouta jolted to wakefulness, ears ringing from Hizashi's quirk-powered shout. Glaring at the red numbers of his alarm clock, he rubbed a hand over his face. 1:34 am. So much for his day off. He ignored the aches in his bones and sat up, his entire body protesting. Hizashi wasn't talking anymore, but he could clearly hear soft thuds and movement from the other hero's room.

If Hizashi was freaking out over a spider again, he was going to hang him outside by his underwear.

Regretfully leaving his warm bed behind, Shouta got up and stumbled into the hallway, briefly checking on his nephew before heading to the living room, where Hizashi stayed on the pull-out couch. Despite Hizashi having moved in over 7 years ago, Shouta never bothered to get a new apartment, not even when he gained custody of Hitoshi a few months ago. When it happened, Hizashi shrugged and disappeared for a few hours, coming back with an American couch that pulled out into a bed he could sleep on.

Of course, Hizashi's living arrangement would be a lot easier if he moved back in with his wife and kid. Inko's too good of a woman for that dumbass and so was Shouta's godson.

Shouta reached the living room. Hizashi was putting his hero costume back on, shrugging on his leather jacket, his directional speakers dangling precariously from his shoulders. His blond hair was a rat's nest and, from the wild look on Hizashi's face, he had no intention of brushing it.

His head shot up to look at Shouta and practically sagged in relief. He was shaking. "Shouta!" His voice cracked. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, but if you're up, then that's good, we need to go out, get your capture gear—"

"Hizashi," Shouta cut him off. He knew the man's anxiety was bad, but Shouta hasn't seen him this frazzled since… since his son was born, probably. "Hizashi, take a deep breath."

"But we need to—"

"Shut up and breathe for a second, Mic!"

Hizashi shuddered and nodded. He breathed, the tremors going down his arms slowing to a stop.

"Good," Shouta said, reaching out to touch his shoulder as he took another deep breath. "You're doing good. Now, slow down and tell me what happened? Can you do that?"

He nodded again. "I… I—" Hizashi ran his fingers through his hair, a flash of agony crossing his face. "Inko called me."

An alarm rang in his head. Inko only called Hizashi in the mornings before Izuku went to school and Hizashi hosted his morning radio show. Dread weighed in his heart.

"It's Izuku," Hizashi continued and apprehension snapped into place when he said Shouta's godson's name. "He never came home from school yesterday."

_**oOo**_

Tenya woke with a blinding headache, right between his eyes. Face scrunching up, he reached out to turn his bedside lamp on, only to meet open air. Puzzled, he searched again. No bedside table. No lamp.

His eyes finally opened to an unfamiliar steel ceiling. This wasn't good, Tenya thought as anticipation swarmed him. A kidnapping then. He'd been kidnapped before—once when he was very young and the other when he was eight. Both times the villains involved had wanted to blackmail his parents and brother, and both times he'd been rescued before the first day ended. He just had to stay safe and not take any risks. It would be okay; it would be just like last time.

Except, he could instantly tell that this would be nothing like the last time. First of all, he wasn't in a cell; he was in a barracks, with six metal beds with dressers sitting at the end. In between each bed was a curtained section of the wall and, high in the corner of the room, there was a tv monitor with a security camera right underneath.

Secondly, a bracelet sat sung around his wrist, two green lights shining in the dim. Was this… a tracking device?

And lastly, in the previous times Tenya'd been kidnapped, he'd been alone. But here in the barracks, three girls slept on the other side of the room and two boys slept on either side of him.

This was bad. This was extremely bad. If he was alone, then it would be clear that he was kidnapped because his family were heroes. But there were five other teens. Something else was happening here.

And Tenya wasn't sure how he was supposed to deal with this.

_**oOo**_

"Hey, can you hear me? Wake up!"

Izuku's brow furrowed. His head hurt, a throbbing in the back of his skull, not unlike the time Kaachan shoved him off his feet. He groaned, not bothering to open his eyes. Who was talking? Maybe if he ignored her, she'd go away…

"What, is he still not up yet?" Another girl asked. How many girls were there? Izuku'd never even talked to one before, why were there so many around? "Hold on, I've got an idea."

The voices were quiet for a blessed second until—"Ow!" His eyes shot open as he jerked his arm away from the sharp pain. "Did you just stab me!?"

Beside his bed were two girls, a brunette and a blonde. The brunette—long hair, green eyes, faint scars crisscrossing her skin—stared at the blonde, horrified as the other wiped his blood off the pocketknife. The blonde smiled, fangs glinting in her mouth. "Yep-yep! I think it's the best way to wake up, don't you?" She leered at him. "Anyway, my names Himiko! Toga Himiko! Welcome to the kidnap-palooza, broccoli-head!"

"Kidnapping…?" Like that, Izuku remembered what happened before he woke up, remembering the woman, the villain, in the park and how he told her _everything_.

He slapped a hand over his mouth, nausea building, his body shaking. "Oh God…" He told her everything. About his mom, Kaachan, _his dad_… She could find and hurt any of them.

No. He couldn't panic right now. Focus. _Focus_. First he had to… access the situation, right.

The room they were in was a small barracks, hardly worth his attention other than to notice the locked door and camera on the wall. The people in the room, that was much more interesting. Other than the two girls near him, there was another girl and two boys. One boy was tall, with half his hair white and the other half red, who stood stoically with a glare, but the other boy was even taller, with short blue hair and glasses. He looked like a hall monitor. The third girl was a fuming redhead who looked close to ripping down the walls herself. Izuku frowned. "Do you know where we are?" He asked the room.

"Of course not," the two-toned boy scoffed. "Clearly all of us were taken by force; did you expect our kidnapper to tell us our location?"

Izuku scooted away from the pissed boy, waving his hands. "S-Sorry! It's just, I've, I've never been kidnapped before, and I'm really nervous and—"

"It's alright," the blue boy said. "We're all nervous too, but panicking or verbally attacking our peers—" he shot a look at the other boy—"isn't going to help. We need to stay calm and collected if we're going to get out of this safely. Can you do that?"

Fiddling with his hands, Izuku inhaled deeply. "I can do that." He could. He would. He just had to analysis the situation, like his parents taught him.

The blue boy smiled and his shoulders sagged. "That's good. My name is Iida Tenya, from Soumei Junior High."

"Oh! I'm Midoriya Izuku."

The brunette sniffed; she'd clearly been holding back tears for a while now. "I'm Tooru. Hagakure Tooru."

"Todoroki."

"Hatsume Mei." Hatsume didn't look up from where she was messing with the bracelet on her wrist. One that they all had, Izuku realized. Hatsume scowled. "Damn! They must have used magnets to put this thing together; I can't find a screw or weld-mark on it." She ran her fingers through her hair. "Not that I'd be able to unscrew anyway; those bastards stole every tool I had on me, even my phone!"

Izuku searched himself. "It's not just you. I can't find my things either. That villain woman probably took them."

Todoroki raised an eyebrow. ""Villain woman?" You spoke to your kidnapper?"

"Just for a little bit. I thought she was a random civilian at first. Why?"

"M-My kidnapper got me in my sleep…" Hagakure said.

Iida frowned. "As did mine. Midoriya, did she say anything that could allude to why we were taken?"

"Well, she did say that—"

Suddenly, a school bell went off, startling them, and the tv above the camera switched on. On the screen, the silhouette of a person appeared. They were green and the only feature on their face was a blindingly white smile. "Good morning, students! It's 8 am, so please wake up and get dressed in your uniforms! Your door will be unlocked and breakfast served once everyone is dressed." And then the screen went dark.

What in the world was that? It seemed like an automated message, but… "Students?"

Toga wrinkled her nose. "Uniforms?"

"Hey!" Todoroki stalked up to the camera and yelled. "Who are you? Why did you kidnap us!? I know you're watching; answer me!"

Toga opened one of the dressers and pulled out a swath of black fabric. "Ew… What do you think will happen if we don't wear these things?"

"They'll probably starve us."

"Starve!?" Hagakure gasped. "But there's no where to get dressed! I-I don't want to have to change in front of boys!"

Hatsume shot her a look. "That's what you're worried about…?"

"It's alright, Hagakure-kun," Iida told her. "Behind the curtains are small bathrooms. It's cramped, but we can use them."

"Ugh, fine! If I have to…" Toga pouted, tugging the uniform free of the dresser and disappearing behind her curtain. She acted… odd, Izuku decided. He couldn't tell if this was just how she reacted to stressful situations or if… no, that wasn't possible. Toga couldn't possibly be _excited_ to be here, right?

Shaking his head, Izuku checked the dresser too. They were filled with uniforms, empty pouched belts, combat boots, underwear and socks. The uniform was a matte-black bodysuit with a zipper down the front. He grabbed what he needed and absconded to the bathroom.

It was tiny. A cramped shower squeezed in next to a toilet next to a sink with a medicine cabinet above with towels on top. He checked inside the cabinet—nothing but generic hygiene supplies.

Izuku changed quickly, ever conscious of the flimsy curtain protecting his modesty. The uniform was soft and breathable, and it fit better than anything else he'd ever worn. He frowned. When did his kidnappers have time to get his measurements?

Pulling back the curtain, Izuku returned to the others. Toga, Hatsume, and Todoroki were already finished, with Hatsume messing around with her belt and Todoroki pulling at his uniform. "Does yours not fit right?" He asked Todoroki.

Todoroki didn't bother to look up. "No. It appears to have been made for someone with a much smaller waist than I."

"That's weird, especially since they seem to have made the others specifically for us…" Izuku muttered. "Maybe that means they didn't mean to kidnap you?"

He snorted. "Somehow, I doubt it."

It didn't take long before Iida and Hagakure were out and, as soon as the last boot was on, the metal door slid open and they flooded out into a new room. Couches and lounge chairs covered the carpeted floor and a new camera and tv sat on the ceiling. Three walls of the new room were a rich brown, made from fine wood, with bookcases and a tv lining them. The fourth wall was metal with a counter top set into it. As for exits, there were three doors, not including the one they came from, and six closed slots above the metal counter. Two doors were on the other two brown walls and one was in the metal wall.

Hagakure, Todoroki, and Toga immediately tried the doors. "This one's locked!"

"So is this one."

Toga kicked her door. "Damn it!" she cursed, grabbing her foot. "Hey! How are we supposed to get breakfast if you're not serving it, you bastards!?"

As she said that, the covers above the counter slid open and 6 meal trays were pushed out before closing again. Everyone stared. "Well," Iida said, "they're definitely watching us."

They approached the food cautiously. "Do you think it's drugged?" Hagakure asked.

"We just woke up from being drugged, do you really think they'll do it again?" Toga asked, pressing past her and grabbing a meal—rice, grilled fish, and kobachi like all the others.

Izuku grabbed one too and sat down on one of the couches. He couldn't really see a flaw in Toga's logic. Besides, assuming that this was the day after he was kidnapped, he hasn't eaten in almost a day, since Kaachan threw away his lunch yesterday.

The rest grabbed their meals and sat down too, everyone trying to keep two seats away from another person. Izuku took this time to analysis them. No one looked injured, and Izuku was an expert on hiding injuries so no one would have been able to hide it from him. Did that mean their kidnappers didn't want to hurt them? Or perhaps, they wouldn't be valuable if they were injured. No one was talking too; they were all probably strangers. So why were they kidnapped together?

It couldn't be quirks; no one in their right mind would have included him otherwise. Izuku doubted it was for ransom: while Iida spoke like a rich kid and Todoroki wore expensive clothes, the rest of them didn't seem well off. Though Dad made a lot of money, Mom was still a housewife and Izuku went to one of the cheapest schools in the district. As for the others, both Hagakure and Hatsume seemed to come from middle class families, and Toga wouldn't have looked out of place at a homeless shelter in her previous get up.

Izuku couldn't think of any reason why someone would kidnap a quirkless Deku like him, unless… they found out Dad was a hero. He set down his chopsticks, put off his food. That couldn't be, right? He and Mom only saw Dad a few times a year and their name changed back to Mom's maiden name years ago. Dad told them an evil villain discovered that Present Mic had a family, but they didn't know who they were. To protect them, Dad had pulled away and hid all evidence he was ever married. And while Izuku missed Dad, he'd understood.

Was this… that villain? Were they kidnapped by the villain Dad was so afraid of?

But if Izuku was kidnapped for being a hero's son, did that mean everyone else here had hero parents too?

Before Izuku could continue down that line of thought, the door opposite of the barrack's door slid open to reveal—"You!?"

The villain from the park stared impassively at them. "Welcome, students, to your first day at L.I.V.E. If you're all finished, follow me so we can begin class."


	3. Chapter 3 First Class

Mastermind Chapter 3

Warnings: Bakugou's language, Non-graphic discussion of child abuse

"It's you!" Izuku exclaimed, pointing at the villain. "You're the woman who kidnapped me!"

That startled everyone to their feet, Iida and Todoroki taking fighting positions. The woman nods. "That's correct. I am called Silent and I'm the Deputy Headmistress here at LIVE."

Snarling, Todoroki thrust out his right hand. Nothing happened. Panic flashed across his face and he tried again with similar results.

Silent smiled and Izuku shivered. "I feel it prudent to point out the bracelets you now wear. They cannot be taken off by the wearer; in addition to tracking your location, these bracelets also suppress your quirks, which is why Miss Hagakure is not invisible at the moment and why Mr. Todoroki is unable to trap me within his ice."

Izuku looked down at the tracking bracelet. Quirk cancelling? Was his the same? "Why did you kidnap us?" Hagakure demanded.

"Everything will be explained shortly. Please," she stood to the side and gestured for them to enter the other room. "Come in and sit down."

There was little complaint as they filed into the room; everyone wanted answers. Inside was a classroom, six desks facing a table in front of a white board with a projector on the ceiling. There were no windows. Izuku sat middle left, the others falling in suit.

Silent closed the door behind her, the lock's click filling the room. The teens exchanged nervous glances as she took her place at the front of the room. "Direct your attention to the board for the Virual Headmaster's address."

The projector booted up and the same green outline from the barracks appeared. "Good morning students! I am your Virtual Headmaster, AVVM, which stands for A Very Villainous Machine!" AVVM's voice was computer generated, yet had more inflection and emotion than any electronic Izuku'd ever heard. "The six of you have been chosen to be the next students at this school, The Learning Institute of Villainous Excellence, codenamed L.I.V.E. Here, you will receive a full education on how to become villains."

Shouting broke out.

"_Villains_!?"

"What do you mean students? I didn't sign up for any school!"

"You scoundrel! First you kidnap us, now you're trying to warp our minds for some devious purpose!"

"Quiet."

Their mouths clamped shut against their will. Izuku breathed deeply, trying to stop a panic attack. Was this her quirk, forcing people to stay silent against their wishes? No, he thought, recalling their confrontation in the park. Some kind of voice-based mind control, then.

AVVM sighed, a short static burst. "Thank you, Silent. Now, I understand most of you have some reservations about learning here—" _You could say that_, Izuku thought bitterly, unable to speak it—"But rest assured, our education is of the highest quality! In addition to the standard education you'd normally receive at any middle school, you will also be learning more lucrative skills—hacking, breaking and entering, how to hold someone hostage, etc., etc."

The AI waved their hand dismissively and continued. "While I'm sure most of you would prefer not to, I'm afraid you have no choice. Most of our incoming students are legacies: meaning that someone in their family—a parent, a guardian, a sibling—was once a student here as well. For those, we usually have parental permission, so even if you escape, they'll send you back. As for the rest, you were sponsored, meaning a member of the staff noticed your potential and signed you up."

Hagakure raised her hand and Silent said, "Hagakure, ask your question."

"But if we're sponsored, that means we don't have parental permission, right?" Her mouth immediately slammed back shut as soon as the last syllable was out.

"…Miss Hagakure, we're villains." AVVM deadpanned. She flushed.

"Anyway." Silent grabbed a small pile of pamphlets out of the drawer of the teacher's desk. "This is a booklet about the school's rules; we may be villains, but your education is our most important priority." She passed them out. "There are a handful that I would like to emphasis:

"First, you will be assigned homework for all of your classes. Refusal to do homework three times—either for multiple classes or a single one—will result in the student being chained their desk until all work is completed, without breaks for meals, bathroom, or sleep." Izuku glanced down at his desk. He didn't see any chains… were they in Silent's desk? How would she get them in? Sure, she could fight Izuku off, but he was a Quirkless 14-year-old with arms like mushy carrots. If Todoroki and Iida bum rush her, could they possibly defeat her? "The only exception is if a student was ill or if they had an injury that didn't allow them to write.

"Secondly, once we get further into the semester, you will all be assigned specialized teachers based on quirks and areas of expertise. Once you have one, they're in charge of most punishments, but until then I will."

"And last, I would like to address the possibility of escape." They all perked up at that. "It's impossible. In the entire run of the school, only one student has managed to escape the building. However, if you do manage it, the school will let you go without further contact from us."

That was it! If they all escaped together, they'd be free! Sure it would be hard, but if they worked together—

"Of course, there is a way for you all to escape without leaving the building too," AVVM butted in, smirking at Silent (presumably. It was difficult to tell, since they didn't have eyes). "Silent doesn't like it when I tell students this method, but since we are raising you to be villains, I figure it's only appropriate to tell you right out of the gate! Encourage the right behavior.

"If you want out, all you have to do is murder a teacher."

The words rang inside Izuku's head. Kill one of the teachers? Well, he has fantasied about it before, but what student hasn't? It's not like he'd ever try it.

He… would just have to focus on getting out of the building. Even if he did it alone, he could guild the heroes back so they could save everyone else.

"Thank you for that, AVVM. Anyway, you all will be completing these." Again from the desk, she pulled out a huge stack of paper, passing them out into six, slightly smaller stacks of paper. "These are evaluation tests that you have to complete by tomorrow. Each one is different, so don't bother copying off each other and AVVM will inform me if you receiver any answers from another student." Clearly seeing their defiant faces, Silent glared. "If you fail in at least trying to complete this test, I will lock you all in the treadmill room until you pass out. The entire floor of that room is a treadmill and the back wall has retractable spikes." She unlocked the door they entered through and threw it open. "Lunch is at noon, dinner's at six, be in the barracks before ten otherwise AVVM will gas you and I'll lock you in a closet for two days. Now get up and get out."

Against their wills, everyone stood and filed out of the classroom, material clenched in their hands. Izuku couldn't stop the tears from falling as Silent shut the door behind them and locked it.

_oOo_

"Bakugou Katsuki, you're needed in the principal's office."

Katsuki scoffed and stood, ignoring the glances around him. The extras had been quiet today; had the bastards seen the slime villain attack on the tv? It's not like he cared about their opinions, but fuck it stung to learn that the news had filmed the entire thing. They even got the part where useless Deku tried to save him. And then the fucking nerd didn't even bother to come to school today! Was that goddamn loser mocking him or something!?

The trip down to the principal's office was short. Inside, the fat bastard sat behind his desk. He wasn't alone. There were two men in there: one, a hobo-looking motherfucker who needed to drink some fucking coffee, and the other, Present Mic. But he didn't look like Present Mic usually did. His hair didn't look like a fucking banana and he wasn't smiling. Weird. "Ah, Bakugou-kun!" The principal—fuck if he knew what his name was—cried out, clearly relieved to see him. "These gentlemen are heroes: Present Mic and Eraserhead. They would like to ask you some questions about Midoriya-kun."

Seriously? He finally gets the attention of halfway decent heroes, and they want to talk about Deku!? "What the fuck has that useless nerd done this time?"

Mic's expression grew cloudy…angry?... while Eraserhead spoke. "He's gone missing. From the school security footage, you were one of the last people to see him yesterday. We would like to ask you a few questions about it."

Fuck.


	4. Chapter 4 Rules

Mastermind Chapter 4

"This thing reads like a handbook on how to abuse and gaslight children," Hagakure commented, flipping through the LIVE rulebook. "Listen to this: 'If a student fails to turn in their work three times in a row, the student is strapped down in a desk until the work is completed. There are no meals or bathroom breaks during this time.' This is messed up."

"Well, that's one way to make sure kids to their homework," Hatsume muttered from behind the TV. "I could probably dismantle this, but I still don't have any tools…"

"Please refrain from dismantling the television." Izuku jumped at AVVM's voice; he'd forgotten the AI was watching them. "You will be needing it for future assignments and will not be given a new one if you purposefully destroy it."

Izuku narrowed his eyes at the monitor AVVM appeared on. "What kind of assignments are you talking about?" Could he get more information out of this 'virtual principal'?

"Well, I can't really say much at the moment; you all are only Level 0 students, so you're not to be trusted with any sensitive information, but later on in the semester, once you reach Level 1, you'll be allowed limited access to the outside world for projects and entertainment. So it's in your best interest to keep the television functional."

"Levels? What do you mean by that?"

A static sigh. "If you'd turn to page 43 in your rulebook, you'll see our Level system for year 1 students on full display."

Sighing, Izuku did as the AI said and turned his rule book to the page. There, in plain black and white, lay their curriculum for the next several months.

_**Level 0–The Beginners Level, takes place over a couple of weeks.  
**_**Classes**: Basics in Villainy, Physical Training.  
**Floors Accessible**: Barracks, Gym.  
**Next Level Reached When**: All students have given up the immediate desire to escape and have accepted their role in school

_**Level 1–The Basic Level, takes place over 3 months.  
**_**Classes**: Basics in Villainy, Engineering, Chemistry, Physical Training, Hand-to-hand Combat, Math, Human Anatomy, Art of Impression, Infiltration and Basic Thievery.  
**Floors Accessible**: Barracks, Gym, the Lab, Quirk Training Room  
**Next Level Reached When**: Passing first level exams  
**Notes**: After exams are passed, students are moved to the Apartment Level, where they can have individual rooms.

_**Level 2–The Moderate Level, takes place over 4 months.  
**_**Classes**: All of those previous, English, Weapons Training, Driving Class, Poison, Biology, Psychology.  
**Floors Accessible**: Apartments, Gym, the Lab, Quirk Training Room, Observation Room, Think Tank Room, Car Park, Simulator Room  
**Next Level Reached When**: Several Field Trips are Successful to the satisfaction of the Vice Principal.  
Notes: Once this level is passed, students can choose if they wish to leave the school or not.

_**Level 3–The Advanced Level, takes place over 2 months.  
**_**Classes**: All those previous  
**Floors Accessibl**e: All Floors  
**Next Level Reached When**: Students each take down a hero of their choice, thus completing requirements to graduate year 1.

He could barely believe his eyes. They'd have to learn math alongside thievery, biology with poisons. And graduating… the requirement was to take down a hero, did that just mean defeat, or…?

"What is the meaning of this!" Iida snapped at the virtual headmaster. "'Take down a hero'…!? As if we would ever do such a barbarous thing!"

"Months…" Hagakure squeaked as she read through the list. "You expect us to be here for months?"

"Incorrect. We expect you to be here for years." AVVM answered and the class grew silent. "This is only Year 1 of training. While students can leave after year 1, level 2, most choose to remain for the next 3 years. However, each class is different, of course. Why, one year we had a group who didn't pass level 0 for three months." The green figure shook its head. "They just kept trying to escape, even though it was pointless. Some of them even perished in their attempts. Our punishments are cruel, but we're still a school and our students' lives are our top priority so having them thrown away so carelessly is regrettable."

Izuku couldn't breathe. Years? They wanted him to be here for years!? Years of being forced to learn villainy, years away from his mother, of not following his dream!?

Except… he didn't really have a dream anymore, did he?

No! He couldn't think like that! He had to get out of here, to get back to his family!

"Well, that sounds alright." The others looked at Toga. "What? I was homeless before this. Sure, I'm sharing a room with five others and yeah, this school's a little fucked, but it's loads better than sleeping under a bench again."

"But they could—" Hagakure glanced frantically at AVVM before dropping her volume. "But they could _kill_ us!"

"Yeah? So could another villain. So could a hero. A dedicated dog. They're not special." Toga returned to her lunch.

Izuku gulped. So, too many failed attempts could result in death. That did put a damper on his plan to throw every escape he could think of at the wall and hope one worked out. His plan would have to be precise. He needed more information: who the teachers were, the floorplans, what classes and activities would get him taken where, what actions caused the worst punishments. And he could fulfill some of those requirements now.

"Hey, Headmaster AVVM?" Izuku kept his voice as level as possible. "I've been looking through the handbook and there isn't any information about our teachers. Could you tell us about them?"

He held his breath, hoping his rather blunt attempt at manipulation would go unnoticed by the AI. There was no indication that it did or AVVM was ignoring it, because they replied, "That's an excellent question, Midoriya-kun! While each of your teachers will eventually introduce themselves, it's always best to look forward to the classes ahead!

"As you've already met, there's myself and Silent, the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress of LIVE. In addition to looking after you all, I am the Security System, so it is my duty to ensure that heroes and their ilk never find us. Silent is also your "Introduction to Villainy" teacher, where she'll allow you to experience the ins and outs of villainy in a controlled environment, while also teaching you the history of villains and helping you develop a more villainous mindset."

Izuku wasn't the only one to shudder at the class description. It sounded more like brainwashing to him. His fingers itched to take notes, but he forced them still. Memorization would have to be enough.

AVVM continued. "The next teacher you will encounter is Mr. Jagged Seer, your physical education and hand-to-hand instructor. Physical excellence is a necessary in villainy, so during level 0, the six of you will be spending at least 6 hours in the gym every other day, possibly more if you're particularly out of shape.

"Our science department is run by Ms. Absolute Zero; she's your Engineering and Chemistry teacher." Hatsume looked excited. "She's joined by our colleague Mx. HyperStar. They are our Bio, Human Anatomy, and Poisons teacher. Mr. Peculiar is your math and weapons instructor and there is Port, the Psychology and Driving instructor.

"For more villainous classes, Ms. Revere teaches Infiltration and Basic Thievery. I think you'll all be impressed by those classes since several of your are predisposed to the topics. Ms. Blood Creature, despite also being your English teacher, teaches "The Art of the Impression"."

"That name sounds ridiculous," Todoroki scoffed.

"If that's what you think, then I won't spoil the class," AVVM responded as smug as a computer could be. "And finally, though he won't be teaching you anything, I would be remiss not to mention our school's founder, the infamous Incognito."

"I've never heard of him," Toga said casually.

His name was Incognito, did she really think a civilian would know who that was? But Izuku couldn't say that, so instead he asked, "Why won't he be teaching us anything?"

"Incognito is, sadly, retired."

So, an old man then? At least they didn't have to worry about that. But that makes nine members of staff to escape from, including AVVM. Not a large number, but they were a small school. Izuku would have to know their quirks before he attempted a major escape. Could he get away with asking? Probably not, if his notebook was what impressed Silent enough to get him a place in LIVE.

He needed more information. And, as he ignored his lunch and worked on the school packet, he thought he had a pretty good idea how to get it.


	5. Chapter 5 Announcement

Mastermind Chapter 5 Announcement

Lesson plans for "Introduction to Villainy" were far more fluid than any other class taught at LIVE. Or perhaps, it was just because of how Silent taught it. Silent dealt with the students at their most stubborn after all; if she presented certain information before they broke stopped resisting (she didn't really have many neutral ways to say it) accepted their place at the school, they might utilize said information against their education. For instance, if she taught the histories of various revolutionaries before her students stopped attempting escapes, then they would use the tactics learned against her. And while that would be a wonderful way to show that they learned and understood the lesson, Silent would still have to punish them, thus harming their bloom into villainy.

It was even more difficult before the first escape attempt, since every class could very well devolve into an ambush. And this class would likely be worse than usual. Three hero legacies, with the three villain legacies not knowing who they were. And while Silent understood the secrecy—she was a villain too, secrecy is the biggest part of their job—you'd think they'd have at least one legacy who was eager to learn (and willing to talk their classmates out of stupid shenanigans). But no, the only person happy to be here was the serial killer blond. Which was fine—one didn't make villains out of happy people—but some compliance early on would be nice.

Still, what to teach for their first official class. The origins of modern heroics would be useful, but right away? Without explaining any of the major players of that century, like Huang Xuegang**, **Atomica, Red Sundown, All for One? Too complicated for their little brains. They haven't even started questioning why they were chosen for the program yet!

Silent tapped her pen on the lesson plan in front of her. She could always start with why villains were made. It was an interesting topic, at least. One that could keep them talking about it for days while she waited for the first escape attempt. But were they ready to have their morals questioned so early on in the process, that was the question…

Someone knocked on her office door. "Come in," she said, knowing it was just one of her staff.

Blood Creature walked inside, swaying her hips. Silent bit back a sigh. Out of all the teachers, Blood Creature was the least professional. With the others, there was some degree of reverence, of respect, that Blood just never seemed to have. Perhaps it was her upbringing, being the 'deity' of a cult, perhaps it was because she was a late-phase teacher, but Blood rarely took her job seriously. Silent returned to her lesson plan. "Is there something you want, Blood? I'm busy."

Blood pulled up a chair and sagged into it, adjusting her body so her cleavage was on full display, a tactic she no doubt picked up from Revere. "You're always busy, aren't you Yu-chan? You never have time for poor BB anymore. You didn't even come to my party." She pouted, which would have been far more affective if thick silver goggles didn't cover the most expressive part of her face. "A girl is gonna start to feel neglected." She reached for Silent's lesson.

She snatched it away. "Don't call me that." Just because they were school mates and coworkers didn't mean she had the right to be familiar like that. "I might have less to do if someone had given me their yearly report weeks ago when I asked for it."

Blood groaned. "What's there to report? Learn English, or we shoot you. Bang!" She collapsed in the chair. "Where's the dramatics in that!? The artistry!? The presentation!?"

"I thought you were supposed to be teaching that." Blood might be the English teacher on campus, but she also taught "The Art of the Impression", a class solely devoted to making the students act more menacing and increasing their charisma. With so few differences existing between modern villains and modern criminals, one had to differentiate the two by behavior.

"Well, I tried, but did you see that last batch? Not a dramatic bone in their bodies! Honestly, I about to go back into the field to teach these low-rankers how a real supervillain acts, just watch me."

"Please don't start a cult again." Those were such a mess, every time.

She waved away her comment. "Anyway, how are the baby villains? See anyone worth my time?"

Silent used a remote to turn on the tv and show the barrack's common room, where the students were starting to wake up and get breakfast. "The green haired one, Midoriya, could probably been something great. So could the Hatsume girl—the pink one—but she gives off more of a mad scientist vibe than supervillain."

"A.Z. would like her."

"As much as A.Z. likes anyone," Silent agreed. "The rest of them… I doubt it. Hagakure and the serial killer girl are both better suited for infiltration, and Todoroki and Iida don't have the personalities for dramatics."

"Ugh, that sucks. And here I was hoping Todoroki was like his brother. I miss that kid; he took to dramatics like a duck to water."

"Hmm, that he did." She watched the children start to eat. Midoriya grabbed a tray, but wasn't eating. Their first dissenter. "AVVM?" The screen split as the AI's avatar appeared. "Send out the information involving their cases. I want to see how they react."

"I will do so at once, Ms. Silent. In addition, Student Midoriya has not eaten any meals since lunch yesterday. Shall I warn him now?"

"Oh, he's being bad…" Blood snickered like a child.

"Wait until dinner to warn him."

"Will do, Ms. Silent."

Silent leaned back in her chair as she watched the students on screen, popping a hard candy in her mouth as she went, and turned up the volume. She wanted to know their exact reactions.

**oOo**

"Attention students!"

Izuku looked up from the breakfast he was pretending to eat. The AI principal, AVVM, had appeared once again, though he had no doubt that the Living Security System had been watching them the entire time.

With all their attention on the screen, it continued, "Good morning, everyone! Today's morning announcements are: Your first official "Introduction to Villainy" class begins today at 10 and will continue to 12. Make sure you bring one of the notebooks provided and a pen, as taking notes is not optional. You'll find writing supplies on one of the bookshelves lining the wall across from the dumbwaiters.

"Lunch today will be soup, rice, and meatballs with a spinach salad and a carton of milk. You may not request a new meal, as we have already taken everyone's allergies into account when creating the meal plan for your class. After lunch, you have the afternoon free which I recommend you spend doing any homework given or reading. Dinner tonight will be curry and rice with water.

"Additionally, it has been decided that we will start giving you information on the outside world, specifically involving your families." That got everyone's attention. "At the current moment, only Shouto Todoroki, Mei Hatsume, and Izuku Midoriya have been reported missing by their families. None of the investigations have gotten very far, but thanks to a recording from Aldera Junior High, pro heroes suspect that one Katsuki Bakugou was responsible for Mr. Midoriya's disappearance. Miss Hatsume was reported missing by her school yesterday after noon, while Mr. Todoroki's father believes he ran away from home. That is all." The tv shut off.

"I'm… no missed…?" Hagakure mumbled, tears filling her eyes.

Iida seemed equally shocked. "But, my brother… my parents… have none of them noticed?"

"Are you two really going to let them manipulate you like that?" Unlike the others, Todoroki only seemed angry at the mention of his family. He glared at Hagakure and Iida. "It's an obvious tactic to make you resent your family. How do you even know that thing was telling the truth?"

Izuku looked at Togo. "You don't seem torn up about it."

She rolled her eyes. "I've been missing for the past year. Trust me, my parents want nothing to do with me, not after what I did."

Well, fair enough. Honestly, Izuku was expecting something far more devastating, like AVVM saying that his parents had gotten back together to have another child the moment he was gone. And like Todoroki said, how were they even supposed to know what was the truth in here. The TV didn't connect to any outside channels, there were no windows, they were completely isolated from the outside world. But if they could escape… If he could bring the heroes back to this place once he escaped, that would be the closest he could ever get to being a hero. He had to save them.

It was the only thing he could do.


	6. Chapter 6 Taken

"So," Hagakure's voice was the only sound in the communal area. Their first official "villain" class had just let out and no one was talking. Izuku didn't know if that was a bad thing or not. "Did anyone else know that Huang Xuegang was the world's first villain?"

Huang Xuegang. Most of the world forgot her name, preferring to call her the Glowing Child. The one who officially started the next step of human evolution.

Silent had explained that mere days after Huang Xuegang was born in Qing Qing, China, she was taken from her parents by the Chinese government. They experimented on her all her life, trying to track down the reason for her luminance, the science behind the quirk. She was parade around to the public, worshiped as a miracle child, but behind closed doors, she was constantly probed and dissected. No one knows what finally made her snap, but she ended up killing all of the scientists in her facility and started a rampage that ended with the deaths of over a hundred people.

Most of the class had been like that. Silent told them about the early villains and the massive human right violations that caused all of them. Atomica, who's quirk ate the radiation out of thousands of nuclear warheads to prevent World War III; Red Sundown, a Brazilian villain who prevented the slaughter of indigenous people by destroying the government's armies; All for One, the quirk-stealing vigilante who gave and took quirks away for favors, building himself an army while saving many early-year quirk users from discrimination. There were countless villains like that and Silent recited them with the ease of someone who'd taught this curriculum before.

What Izuku didn't understand though was _why_.

"I knew," Izuku admitted, drawing the attention of the others. "I did some research into the origins of quirks a year ago and discovered it. What I read didn't explain the… experiments done on her, but Huang Xuegang was definitely a villain."

"So Silent is telling us the truth?" Hagakure asked.

"At least, a partial truth," Iida answered, pacing. "It's still fully possible that she is manipulating the information. But what I don't understand is why? What does she gain by telling us this?"

"Wait, really?" Toga perked up, straightening up in her armchair. "You mean I understand this, but Mr. Nerd has no idea?" She grinned, overjoyed. "Cool! I've never done well in school before!"

Todoroki glared at her. "If you know then tell us; don't go off on random tangents."

"Demanding…" Toga muttered. "Well, the only thing all those people had in common was that someone called them villains. Huang Xuegang was a victim from the very beginning, Red Sundown and Atomica did genuinely good things that should have marked them as heroes, and All for One… well, he seemed to be the only one openly hostile with the whole "building an army" thing, but that doesn't change the fact that he probably saved dozens if not hundreds of people from quirk discrimination. But they're classified as villains because, what? They fought their abusers? Took down corruption? Prevented war?" She shrugged. "The Hero Commission and the media like to play villains off as all horrible people who just want to use quirks to hurt people, but Silent-sensei just proved that it's a lot more nuanced."

Izuku wanted to argue with her, but… he thought back to the fight he saw between Kamui Woods and Mount Lady vs the giant purse-snatcher. The man had only stolen a purse and disrupted the train lines, but Woods acted like he had killed someone.

"Still," Iida started, "Even if they had good reasons behind their villainy, that doesn't excuse murder!"

"Oh?" Toga laughed. "So, you wouldn't kill a child molester? Because I have." Shocked eyes turned to her. "If there's a rapist attacking you and the only thing you have to defend yourself is a knife, then you're not going to care whether or not the rapist lives. Does anyone really care if an abuser lives? If you know an extremist is going to try and hurt people, isn't it your moral duty to try to stop them, no matter how? All of these situations could be considered excusable murders, so don't let your high horse keep you from seeing reality."

"Human life still has inherent value though," Izuku argued. "You can't just write someone off as 'better off dead' because they've done bad things!"

"Perhaps, but isn't that what our government has been doing for years?" Toga shot back. "Most of the villains who serve out their sentences go back into a society that hates them. Over 90% of former villains end up committing crime again because they can't get jobs! And when it happens, everyone just shrugs and goes 'Well, it was bound to happen! They're villains after all,' like they couldn't have stopped it!" Her face red with anger, she glared at him as she leaned back in her chair. "Like it or not, but society makes villains." She sneered. "It made me."

How… was he supposed to answer that?

Fortunately, he didn't have to because lunch was sent through the dumbwaiters at that very moment. Izuku didn't partake of course—earning concerned looks from both Hagakure and Iida since he didn't have breakfast either—but he stayed strong. He'd read the rule book. He knew what they said they'd do to him for not eating. But… how much of it was a bluff? How would they take him?

It was an opportunity to gather information for escape, even if there was a chance he would encounter some… unpleasantness. But he'd put up with Kaachan for years now; he could handle unpleasantness.

So, Izuku didn't eat, his stomach cramping throughout the afternoon. There wasn't anything left to do outside of homework (which they all did), reading quietly, or talking to each other, and no one wanted to do that later. They were all too new to each other. But Izuku expected that would change as soon as they started trying to escape.

When dinner came, Izuku once again didn't grab his plate, but this time, AVVM spoke. "Mr. Midoriya. It has come to staff attention that you have not been eating. If you do not each tonight's meal, you will be punished."

"I'm fine." Izuku stared definitely up at the monitor. It went black in response.

"But, Midoriya-kun… they said they'd punish us…" Hagakure whispered.

"And we don't know how truthful these punishments are unless we push the limits. Besides… I could discover something when they take me out for punishment. If it helps us get out of here… I'll do whatever it takes."

No one had any answer to that until Hatsume, with an eyebrow raised, said, "How noble. Don't get killed."

Izuku inclined his head. "I'll try."

He went to bed hungry that night, wondering how Silent or whoever would come get him. He never noticed the hiss of gas flooding the room, keeping everyone asleep. Nor did he notice being picked up and carried away.

He certainly noticed waking up in a dark, cramped closet, hog-tied with a tube shoved down his nose and into his throat, force-feeding him gruel.

**Toga: All villains are queens!  
Izuku: If they kill, they're a thot! **


	7. Chapter 7 Tied Up

Shouto almost appreciated being kidnapped. As the UA recommended exam inched ever closer, day by agonizing day, Endeavor increased Shouto's training. His focus was primarily on Shouto's fire side, so at least Shouto got to see his frustration. It was irritating though, and he suffered from quirk exhaustion every day—the reason, he suspected, why he never awoke during his kidnapping. Endeavor made his own prodigy too exhausted to fight back against the very thing he was being trained for. So, the past few days had been a welcome break for his body.

But he never forgot it was still a kidnapping. Without their quirks, they were defenseless against their captors and nothing they could do would change that. The farce of a school controlled their food, their clothing, their access to information, everything. And for what? To force them into villainy?

Endeavor had made Shouto read numerous case files over the years, including those involving kidnappings. In everything that he's read, he's never come across something as elaborate as this, indicating one thing: LIVE either had a very high success rate for their school, or they were proficient in making sure no one ever talked.

So when Shouto woke up one morning and saw that Midoriya was not in his bed, he felt his stomach drop to the floor.

Everyone got ready in an eerie silence, the same thought on their minds. Midoriya wasn't in his tiny bathroom—Iida had checked the moment he noticed—and there was no where else in the room for him to hide. Someone had to have come inside the room to remove him from their barracks. They could have done anything to him.

"Maybe…" Hagakure whispered as she pulled on her boots, as if that would stop AVVM from listening. "Maybe he's waiting outside in the common room?"

"Don't be stupid," Shouto snapped. "The doors don't unlock until we're all dressed. How could he have gotten out there?"

Shouto may not have talked to Midoriya much, but he didn't want the boy dead. Or tortured. He'd only skimmed the list of punishments they could earn for "misbehaving", but most of them fall under torture and child abuse.

The last boot was tied and the door automatically clicked open, AVVM not showing their green face for once. They streamed out into the common room and, as expected, Midoriya was not there. Annoyance struck him. Shouto hadn't gotten to know Midoriya well—no one had, since they were all avoiding each other as best as they could in the small space they had—but he was one of the few people he could trust in this place. Without him, that was one less person to help them all escape.

AVVM's tv switched on and they spoke, "Good morning, students—!"

"Where's Midoriya!?" Todoroki demanded, joined in by the voices of his fellow kidnapees.

"Oh?" The AI tilted their head. "Are you… concerned for your classmate? That's not very villainous."

"Don't play games with us!" Hatsume shouted back. "You stole him out of our room in the middle of the night. What did you do with him!?"

"What makes you think _I _had something to do with it?"

Toga hissed, her fangs flashing in the light. "You, Silent, any other dumbass teacher in this school. Just give him back already!"

"I'm glad to see you all getting along, but I cannot do that. Mister Midoriya is being punished at the moment. He will be returned to you for your physical education class."

"Physical education?"

"Of course! You can hardly commit crime if you don't have the stamina to run from the heroes! So, eat your breakfast everyone! And Mister Iida, since Mister Midoriya will be missing your Intro to Villainy class, so please make an extra copy of notes for him."

The tv flicked off and with it, their answers went too.

**oOo**

Izuku's throat burned horribly as a woman he'd never seen before pulled the tube force-feeding him from his mouth. He coughed wetly as it slid free, its plastic covered in mucus. He tried to focus on the woman—she was new and he needed to know if she was a threat—but the pain in body from being tied up and his throat made it hard to think.

She forced open his mouth and shined a flashlight inside. Her fingers were like ice on his skin. "No damage to the throat; it's just irritated." Her voice was a dry rasp. "Make sure he sucks on ice chips later though and don't work him too hard, okay Jagged?"

"I won't." Izuku jumped; he hadn't realized there was anyone else in the room. A strong hand landed on his shoulder and he was pulled to him feet. "Come on, kid. You have class."

Dread welled in him; no even when he was being bullied did he dread class so much. The man—a new teacher, no doubt—was two heads taller than he with buzzed hair and no shirt, displaying a myriad of tattoos. Izuku tried to move out of his grip and his hand tightened.

No way to fight, no way to escape. He complied.

He allowed the man to frog-march him out of the… med bay? It looked like one. They went to an elevator that was featureless inside. Just as Izuku was wondering about how it worked, the man spoke, "First-year barracks," and the elevator began to move.

They stood in silence for a few seconds before Izuku asked. "Who… who are you?"

The man laughed a little. "Well, aren't you timid. The name's Jagged Seer, kid, and I'm your physical education teacher. I'll also teach you how to use weapons once you reach that level… if you reach that level." He gave Izuku a look he couldn't read. "You're not exactly making a good impression on the staff, you know? Starving yourself before the week is out."

"Well…" Izuku bit his lip. "This is a villain school, right? So aren't I supposed to be misbehaving?"

Jagged Seer stared at him, then burst out laughing. "Yeah! I guess that's one way to look at it!" He smiled at Izuku and his grip lightened. "I think we're going to get along just fine, kid."

"I hope so." If Izuku could get Jagged Seer to trust him, that was just another tool to use in their escape.

**A/N: I thought I'd share a comment from a Russian reader that I thought was funny. **

**Deku: I do not want to eat**

**Teachers: It is necessary.**

**Deku: I do not want and I will not. I'd rather read a book**

**Teachers:**

**In the morning**

**Teachers who put Deku in a box: Eat, bitch**

**Deku: What the hell**


	8. Chapter 8 Suspect

It was a week after Izuku had gone missing and Shouta had officially lost his last fuck. Some would say that he lost his last fuck years ago, or perhaps even on the day he was born, but no, it seemed the constant worry and stress of having to search for his missing problem godson had unearth the few that he hadn't known he had left.

It started with searching Izuku's room. Both he and Hizashi had known that Izuku hadn't particularly liked his middle school, that he didn't have many friends, so it was reasonable to check to see if Izuku had ran away. None of his clothes seemed to be missing though, except for the uniform he was wearing last. But, all of the Hero Analysis journals the kid had written over the years were missing, which would suggest that Izuku had ran away.

Until Inko had mentioned that they had been there the last time she cleaned his room, the day Izuku had gone missing.

The CCTV cameras had caught Izuku being attacked by a villain in a tunnel near his house, but All Might had saved him, from what little the two heroes could see from the poor angle. And then there was Izuku running out to save one Bakugou Katsuki from the same villain, who had somehow escaped from All Might. When interrogated, All Might had been mum on the details, but had looked probably shocked that Izuku had gone missing shortly after the rescue. It was unfortunate that All Might couldn't tell them anything, since he was likely the last one to see Izuku before he went missing, but All Might promised to join in the search too.

Finally, they were at Aldera Middle School, watching the CCTV cameras from the campus. Shouta had had to glare down the sweating pig of a principal, who had tried to talk them out of viewing the tapes, saying "the boy probably just ran away… is he really a reason to cause such a fuss?" Hizashi hadn't been allowed to speak, too afraid he'd use his quirk on accident, so Shouta was the one to accuse the principal of trying to obstruct justice.

However, after watching dozens of hours of his godson being beaten, verbally harassed, humiliated, on camera, he planned to burn the school to the ground, and Hizashi would likely be right behind him if the low hum of his quirk was proof. Only one good thing came of the horrible experience. In most instances of abuse, the instigator was usually Bakugou Katsuki. The same boy Izuku saved from a villain. The same boy, if Hizashi's nervous mutterings were correct, who used to be Izuku's best friend.

Bakugou was a person of interest, if not their prime suspect for Izuku's disappearance, and, as Shouta watched Bakugou blast Izuku with his quirk, he could only hope it was just disappearance, and not something worse.


End file.
